Billets and other elongated objects have been used in manufacturing for many years wherein these objects must be moved or transported from one process to the next, stored, removed from storage and even manipulated or orientated for certain operations between the creation of the billet and the final processing of the billet. In the past, many methods have been used to transport or move these objects which include manual movement, vibratory feeders, conveyors, bins and pushers. These devices can be utilized to move or transport the billets from a first position to a second position.
As can be appreciated, the location and orientation of the billet must be known before the billet can be moved from the first position to a second or known position. Further, interengagement with a desired number of billets at the first position, when the billet is in a randomly oriented condition, requires either manual manipulation by an operator or the use of sensors or other vision-type features on the movement device to properly orient the device. In this respect, and with respect to traditional jaws or grippers utilized in pick and place style manipulators, the device must know the orientation of the billet to properly align the jaws of the movement device with respect to the billet such that the jaws can grasp the billet. Once the billet is grasped, it can be manipulated as is needed for the particular operation. Not only does the movement device need to sense the position of the billet, it also must be able to articulate the jaws to properly orient the jaws relative to the billet to grasp the billet. As can be appreciated, this articulation can require multi-axis equipment so that the jaws can be oriented relative to the billet. The need for both vision and multi-axis articulation can greatly increase the costs of the device and can also greatly reduce the reliability and longevity of the device. This is especially true in the harsh environment typically associated with billet processing